Cotton shipments reached 273,400 metric tons (t) in October, 68pc up from a year earlier. Between January-October, exports totaled 1mn t, double the 502,000t shipped in the same period last year, according to Brazil's trade ministry.

Brazil harvested a record of 2.7mn t of cotton lint in the 2018-19 season, 36pc higher than the prior cycle, as attractive currency exchange rates and commodity prices facilitated acreage expansion, especially in the states of Bahia and Mato Grosso.

Shipments of beef, of which Brazil is one of the largest global exporters, reached 160,100t in October from 135,940t in the same month last year. Year to date October, exports were at 1.22mn t, an 11pc gain versus the same period in 2018.

The increase comes as China has been demanding more protein to make up for the local reduction in the pig herd prompted by the African Swine Fever (ASF). In September, the Asian country had already authorized 17 Brazilian beef plants to ship beef to China.

Grains and oilseeds

Brazil's corn exports reached 6.14mn t in October, nearly double from a year earlier. Shipments for the calendar year 2019 are on track to reach a record after a historic crop and amid higher demand overseas.

Soybean exports totaled 4.86mn t in October versus 5.35mn t the same month last year.